Moon Glow
by DerrangedBlonde
Summary: Yaoi! mulitple pairings What would have happened if Kairi hadn’t recognized Sora as a heartless? Would Riku have been able to break free from Ansem’s grasp in time to save Sora’s heart from being completely destroyed by The Darkness?
1. Sea of Tranquility

Moon glow

Part 1: Sea of Tranquility

A/N: This is my first Kingdom hearts fanfic, so be gentle, please : ) This fic was inspired by a song by Rod Stewart which is called (gasp) "Moon Glow" ha…go figure…

Summary: (Riku x Sora/ Riku x Ansem) What would have happened if Kairi hadn't recognized Sora as a heartless? Would Riku have been able to break free from Ansem's grasp in time to save Sora's heart from being completely destroyed by The Darkness? Let's find out, shall we?

Disclaimer: man…haven't written one of these in a looooong time…. But yeah, as much as I love Kingdom Hearts and all the charries involved in the game, Alas, it's not mine. I wish I had enough money to change that though.

_/It must have been moonglow way up in the blue_

_It must have been moonglow that led me straight to you…_

_I still hear you saying "dear one, hold me fast"_

_And I start to praying "Dear Lord please let this last"_

_We seemed to float right through the air_

_Heavenly songs seemed to come from everywhere_

_And now when there's a moonglow way up in the blue,_

_I'll always remember that the moonglow gave me you/_

_-Rod Stewart "Moonglow" _

* * *

_-What's happening? -_

_-Where am I? -_

_-Why can't I see? -_

His body felt so frozen and small; like he was being compressed into a form that wasn't his at all and it _hurt_…Oh did it hurt! He wanted to curl up into a ball and cry himself into oblivion…but he was already there it seemed.

_-But if I'm dead... Then why does my heart hurt so badly? If this is oblivion…how am I still conscious? -_

Suddenly, the icy void seemed to thrust him violently forward toward a white glow and he landed on cool marble. He wanted to cry out from the sudden shock but his mouth didn't work! He moved to take a step forward, expecting to hear the thud of his shoes but heard the scraping of claws instead as he hobbled along. That was when he took a moment to look at his surroundings…

_-Everything looks like I'm looking at it through a magnifying glass…. -_

Then at his hands…or claws rather…

_-I'm a heartless!? But how?! I don't- why's this happening!?-_

He tried to dig through his memories for an answer to any of his questions, but found them fading fast. Desperately, he tried to grasp onto them so he could find an answer, but it was like trying to catch papers fluttering away in a fierce wind. Soon, he was left with the barest and strongest of his memories, two names and two faces.

_-Kairi?…..Riku…-_

He had to find either one of them! Why? He wasn't sure but he had to! He hobbled on as fast as his short legs could take him, moving past the other heartless as they tugged themselves from their mother Darkness. They only gave him passing glances with their fierce, soulless yellow eyes before they moved in that grotesquely hypnotizing dance of theirs, clawing at the marble in the same direction as he was moving in. The began hissing in their same cryptic voices, only this time, he could understand those familiar whispers…

_Save me…_

_I want you…_

_I need a heart…_

_Please reach for me… _

_Don't forsake me again…._

_Don't you remember my name…? _

Please give me your heart… 

_Give me redemption… _

_Remember me…._

_I need you…_

_Save me…_

Each hissing cry began as the one before it ended; a continuous cycle of misery. But surely, the girl, Kairi, would know him. Kairi loved him, didn't she? Kairi would know him anywhere! The thought of her made him propel himself faster than his new brethren. She had to be that way! But where was he? Where did that way lead? What did she mean to him?

He bounded down stairs, stumbling and falling where his fellows leapt like graceful dancers despite their hideousness. The swarm made it's way toward a large area with a high ceiling. He recognized this place…and there she was! There was that girl! Who was she with? What were they? Were they heartless like he was?

They drew their weapons to protect her from the onslaught of Those without Hearts….from him… He barely dodged a fireball shot at the core of the legion. Their dying screams rang through his tiny, frail body and he felt numb as he tried to hobble over to the girl, praying she's know how to save him from what he had become… He knew she had to remember him…

But she didn't.

As he reached out for her, thinking her name as loudly as he could, since his mouth didn't work, she only recoiled and screamed.

_-Don't push me away! Kairi! It's me! It's- -_

But who was he? He saw another flicker of a memory…a picture of him and the girl and the boy and another boy with dark brown hair and dark blue eyes with a warm smile that radiated pure innocence. No…that wasn't important. He didn't know who that other person was…it couldn't be him! He was a heartless…he had always been a heartless… Hadn't he?

Again he reached out for the only living memory he had, his claws sinking down hard into her leg as he tried to pull her closer. He heard a sharp hissing emit from where his mouth should have been.

_Kairi…_

_Save me…_

_Who am I?_

_Tell me Kairi!_

_Who am I!?_

_Hold me!_

_Kairi!_

She screamed again and this time, the taller of the others rushed at him with a shield. Somewhere in his mind, he knew he would die if he remained there… He didn't want to die! Not until he remembered who he was!

So, he cast one last look at the girl from his memory and regretfully stepped back into the womb of his creation, back into the Darkness because he knew the shadows were now the only safety he could have. The light he saw within the few memories he had left only seemed to hurt him. Why did he feel so guilty? Why didn't she remember him!? She loved him! She should have known!

Now, because of her, he was damned into wandering through a place where no one knew him. He hated that girl now even though he knew that that hatred would only shove him further into this new place. Here was where misery seemed to be peace, where sorrow was your very breath, where being alone meant you were among family, where the waves of screams were only part of the sea of tranquility…his new Hell.

There was only one small wisp of hope he had left…The boy…

_Riku…._

_-Riku…Someone show me where he is! Where's Riku!?-_

As if someone heard his plea, a pale silver light shone down through the Darkness, casting aside the monsters that lurked under the cover of the seemingly impenetrable shadows. Even that gentle light burned his wide yellow eyes, but he didn't want to ignore this chance to find the boy. He set out on the path illuminated by the light.

* * *

Something dragged him into painful consciousness.

_Riku…._

Who was calling him?

_Riku…._

It didn't sound like Ansem….He knew it and yet—He couldn't bring himself to hope that-

_Riku…_

"Sora…" He felt himself whisper and then he quickly swallowed a yelp of pain as his restraints pulled him back against the wall. How did he get there again? Oh right…Ansem. Oh how he hated that man! He used him like a puppet…And Riku willingly let his new master pull the strings, didn't he? Now, he was tangled in the very ties of darkness he allowed himself to be fettered in.

He had betrayed everyone by letting that man use his body to come back into the world. He could deny ever knowing about Ansem's plans to unlock Kingdom Hearts and let Darkness and Chaos reign over all of the worlds in existence…But how could he not now? The man was part of him…Ansem was him…

"No…NO! You and I are different!" He shouted into the darkness, thrashing as best he could and refusing to cry out as the thick ropes of shadows pulled just a little tighter, threatening to break him in every way they could.

"We are the same…" Came Ansem's voice from all around. "How could we be any different?"

"Because…" he searched for an answer, but came up empty handed…Until that name came into his head again. "Sora…I have Sora! I have a light…You don't!"

"You snuffed out your light…"

The darkness before him swirled and shifted to show his body attacking Sora again and again, viciously, as if he never loved him. He watched his Light fight back valiantly but to no avail…The attacks came again and again and again. Then the image cut away right as he was about to bring down his sword on Sora, whom was too busy trying to heal to fight off the attack.

"You and I are one and the same… Darkness Incarnate. Sora is dead, accept it."

"He can't be dead! He CAN'T be!" He felt the tears cut through the numbness of his cheeks and sting his eyes. He wouldn't believe that Sora was dead….His Light couldn't be put out! He was Sora, he was resilient, he was immortal in Riku's heart. "I know you're out there Sora….find me, please find me…"

"He won't ever find you, my love… He's gone forever….but I'm still here…I'll always be here…" He stepped into Riku's line of sight, his golden eyes gleaming with a source of light no one else there could see. He reached out and took Riku's pallid face in his hands. "You love me Riku…You gave me your heart…" The older man leaned in, his vicious eyes boring into the boy's. "remember?" He let one hand trace Riku's jaw before falling to his chest, right over where his heart should have been.

The silver-haired boy wanted to recoil, to retaliate but he was held firmly in place. Ansem was right…. He knew he was right.

"So why fight any more beloved?" Ansem whispered before pressing his lips to Riku's.

How could the pale, broken boy ever hope to rebel against someone so strong, someone so _right_? The life in his eyes fluttered away as he closed them, letting his master do whatever he wanted to him just like he had so many, many times before. After all, puppets can't break free from their strings without losing all semblance of life and he didn't want to die…Not yet.

TBC…

A/N: Meh…not so bad…a great deal of OOC-ness but it's not SO bad…least I didn't have em running around in frilly pink dresses, having tea parties and playing dolls, right? Oh god…Ansem in a dress…that's so wrong and yet so hysterically funny lmao!!! ANYWAY! I hope it's alright…I'm a big fan of AnsemxRiku because, let's face it, though he is a creepy bastard, Ansem ownz the pretty-boy. I may try some Ansem x Sora just to see how that tastes…but that seems kinda weird. Oh well! First time for everything!

Oh yeah! And please don't like maim me for starting another fic before I finish AKW…I know I need to work on that one but I want KH! WAAAAH! ( and I wanna play the game to see if I got that scene right but my PS2 is broke and my friend Heather has my copy of KH so meh..I'm screwed…so sorry if that scene's wrong)

I think I used the words Darkness and Shadows atleast 50 times… Bah

DB


	2. Consequences

Moon Glow 

Consequences

Summary: (Yaoi, Multiple pairings) What would have happened if Kairi hadn't recognized Sora as a heartless? Would Riku have been able to break free from Ansem's grasp in time to save Sora's heart from being completely destroyed by The Darkness? Let's find out, shall we?

Disclaimer: man…haven't written one of these in a looooong time…. But yeah, as much as I love Kingdom Hearts and all the charries involved in the game, Alas, it's not mine. I wish I had enough money to change that though.

_-  
The way your smile just beams  
The way you sing off key  
The way you haunt my dreams  
No no they can't take that away from me_

_We may never never meet again, on that bumpy road to love  
Still I'll always, always keep the memory of_

_The way you hold your knife  
The way we dance till three  
The way you change my life  
No no they can't take that away from me  
No they can't take that away from me  
Yeah yeah yeah_

_We may never never meet again, on this bumpy road to love  
Still I'll always, always keep the memory of_

_The way you hold your knife  
The way we dance till three  
The way you change my life  
No no they can't take that away from me  
No they can't take that away from me  
No they can't take that away from me  
No they'll never never never never take that away from me  
No they can't take that away...-_

_-Rod Stewart "They can't take that away from me"_

* * *

Kairi fell to the ground as Goofy rushed to her aide to destroy the heartless that had been attacking her. However, the little bugger was able to get away before the giant dog's attack could connect with the frail little body and send it's demented little soul free. 

The gashes in her leg burned with cold and she winced as she tried to stand but ended up just falling back onto the hard marble floor. "W-where are the heartless going?" She said as she watched them bow their little heads and step back into the darkness just the way that one had. "Why are they retreating?"

Goofy reached up, lifted his hat and scratched the top of his head with a gloved finger. "Gawrsh… I don't I ever saw 'em do somethin' like that uh right Donald?"

The duck lowered his staff and frowned before muttering some incoherent sentences. "Ah phooey." He said with a snort as he turned to face Goofy. "Come on, we have to get back to the ship! The heartless'll come back and you know it!"

The red haired girl grit her teeth as she stood, looking down at the much less intimidating duck from that vantage point. "But what about Sora and Riku?! We have to help them! We have to wait for them!"

Donald grunted and then looked back up the stairway. "We don't have time. Sora will find us later!"

"Yeah Miss Kairi… If we stay here, the heartless could hurt ya like they did already! If'n we take ya outta here, we'll be able to come back a lookin' for Sora an' Riku."

"No! We can't leave Sora! He risked his life to save me! I need him! I love him!" She covered her mouth abruptly as the last sentence came from her mouth. She didn't mean to say that! It's not that it wasn't true…but it wasn't something she wanted to confess to virtual strangers. Her cheeks grew warm and she looked away.

The magician rolled his eyes and reached up, yanking Goofy's head down by his shirt. "You grab her when I give the signal and we'll make a break for it, okay?"

Goofy frowned and then nodded. "Okay….but uh…what's the signal?"

"Oh just grab her, okay!?"

"But you didn't give the signal!"

"There is no signal!!! Just grab her!" The duck shouted, forgetting that she was standing right there.

However, she was tuning the pointless argument out. Did she love Sora? Sure, she liked him…She always had but…Love? That was a bit strong, wasn't it?

"But, uh you said that-"

The duck let out a squall of frustration and threw his arms up in the air. "FORGET IT! JUST FORGET IT!" He shouted as he grabbed the girl by the wrist and dragged the daydreaming girl out of the castle.

"Uh heya Donald, wait for me!" The dog ran forward, catching up easily with the other two because of his long legs. He cast one regretful look back at the castle. "Uh Donald?"

"What!?" The mage snapped impatiently, hoping against hope that Goofy wasn't about to comment on something stupid.

"I have a feelin' that we didn't do somethin' important…"

"Like what? We stopped Riku, we saved the girl and we'll come back to look for Sora once things are settled here. We've got everything!"

"But uh…what if Sora was, oh I dunno, turned into one of the heartless and we killed him? Or worse! What if we let him slip away into the darkness with the other heartless an' he never comes back out! Oh that'd be awful!"

Donald stopped in his tracks and let go of Kairi's wrist. He beckoned Goofy to lean closer by waggling his finger. As soon as the not-so-bright Knight did so, he was abruptly conked on the head

"Ow! Gawrsh! What was that for!?"

"You're and idiot! Sora could never be turned into a heartless! He's probably just lost now we have to get her out of here and to safety, understand!? Now no more talking until we're back in Traverse town!"

Goofy sighed in defeat. "Oh alright… Miss Kairi? Are you alright?" The knight asked, leaning towards her to better inspect the haggard look on her face.

She chewed on her lower lip, thinking about what Sora might be facing. What if Goofy was right? After all, that one heartless reached for her. The princess also could've sworn it hissed her name. "Sora…" She whispered, trying to push away the grip dread had wrapped around her. The girl hoped that if Sora were in the darkness, that he would find Riku so he wouldn't be alone. But what if Riku wasn't in the darkness anymore? What if he was alone there? What if it was her fault he was there? But, her thoughts were cut short as Donald yanked her forward again onto the platform that would take them to the Gummi Ship.

* * *

_-I need to fight this…-_ The silver haired boy thought bitterly as he kept his eyes shut tight, his weakened body still aching since Ansem finished breaking him all over again. _–Before I actually want to bow at his feet…- _The encounters with his master were starting to be more expected than feared and soon, they would be hoped for and after that- He didn't even want to know. 

No, he wouldn't let it get that far! Riku wouldn't let himself become Ansem's utter slave. He opened his eyes and looked to one of his hands, mentally yelling at it to move because he couldn't feel it anymore. When it simply refused to listen to him, he let his head drop.

_Riku…_

_-Sora-_ Riku thought helplessly, wishing he could just see the smiling boy's face again. But then, if he saw it once more he'd crave it again and again. It was better that he couldn't ever see the boy again. _–No…That's Ansem talking… Nothing is better for me than to see him again. God, I want to hear him laugh again. To pout like he always does when he doesn't get his way. - _He let out an anguished sigh and shook his head, trying to remove the blanket of helplessness tossed over him.

He'd always been the strong one, hadn't he? He was the one who was supposed to protect Sora and now- His crimes were unforgivable. Yet, he knew Sora would forgive him; Sora forgave everyone no matter how unworthy of it they are.

"I've failed Sora…" He whispered to the air. "I'm sorry…"

Riku… 

_Find me, Riku…_

_Help me find you…_

_I'm so lost…_

_Riku…_

"I can't! I can't get out of this! I can't help you when I can't even help myself!" He shouted into the dark outside the ring of frail light illuminating the area around him. "Give me strength to break free and I'll find you! I can't do it on my own!"

_Riku…_

_Find me…_

_Riku…_

"Sora! Can't you hear me?! I can't find you! SORA! Answer me!" He held perfectly still although his eyes moved wildly to look for any traces of an answer.

Ansem smirked as he watched the boy just outside his field of vision. _–Well… isn't this entertaining…-_ He unfolded his arms and tapped his lower lip._ –I know what I'll do for him…- _He thought cruelly and with a wave of his hand, an Anti-Sora emerged from the darkness into the pale light.

Oh the look of elation that overcame Riku's face was simply priceless. He watched with sheer sadistic delight as the boy tried to reach out for the dark copy of his lost friend, thinking that the shadows made him look like that_. –What a simple fool.-_ He snickered as the Anti-Sora clenched it's fists and pulled back and delivered a hard blow to the boy's stomach.

"How could you _ever_ think I'd forgive you?" Ansem whispered and his words emerged from the heartless' mouth and its voice sounded just like the foolish boy's. "You haven't done anything worthy of it! You've done nothing but pulled me further and further away from the light! You're such a _horrible_ person!" The Heartless Sora punched the boy again in the jaw.

The silver-haired boy looked absolutely torn apart. Was that really his Sora? It couldn't be! But…the Heartless can't form coherent sentences. It had to have been Sora… Or-"I'm… sorry Sora I-I didn't mean to-"

"Don't lie to me Riku… I'm not _that _naïve. You always wanted someone to hurt just as bad as you always have! You always wanted to drag everyone down with you!" Anti-Sora punched him hard in the chest again, knocking the wind out of him. "You claim to love me, but how can you without your heart!?" The shadow puppet grabbed Riku's face and redirected it toward him. "You're rotting here because you don't have one! Now you want mine to make up for the one you lost?! You _deserve_ this place and this suffering."

He gasped for breath, his eyes locked on the hate-filled yellow one's staring back at him. Oh the pain hurt so much more than any wound he had felt before; Sora's words cut through his very soul and those eyes seemed to burn right through him.

Those couldn't be his friend's eyes… Sora's were the deep blue color of the sky just before the sun rose and always filled with warmth. He had never seen Sora truly angry because the boy was not capable of it! Sure, his words were true enough but…Sora would never say that to him! Not even if he deserved it…

He smiled bitterly, "You're not him…You're not Sora." He let out a few maniacal chuckles, feeling a new wave of strength. "You're an imposter! You're nothing but a worthless monster _Ansem_. I know you're out there! You couldn't take away Sora's memory from me! You can't! YOU WON'T!" Riku pulled on his tethers with all his might.

Ansem snickered. "So, you aren't so easily fooled after all." He waved away the Anti-Sora. "Go ahead and break free. It won't matter. Where could you run? Where could you hide from me? This is _my _kingdom." He stepped into the light, the shadows making his face even more menacing than it was without it. "You're just a prisoner here…"

Riku thrashed against the thick coils of Darkness around his wrists, ankles throat and chest. "Then let me go! What are you so afraid of!? If I don't stand a chance out there, then why not let the shadows take me?!"

"Fine… You want your freedom?" He grinned and snapped his fingers, the boy's bindings fading away, causing the boy to fall flat on his face. "You may have what you _think_ is freedom. You'll soon find just how lonely that freedom will be when you can't find the boy and then you'll come right back here because I know how much you loathe being alone."

Riku pushed himself off the ground and stood shakily on his feet. "You must hate it infinitely more than I do. After all, you've been alone all your life, but I haven't. I will find Sora or die trying!" He took off sprinting into the darkness, feeling Ansem's eyes watching him as he ran.

"These children understand so little." Ansem said with a smirk before returning to the task of finally unlocking Kingdom Hearts once and for all. Now, he had the advantage because he no longer had any distractions...

TBC...

A/N: Yay! I got reviews that aren't bad! Whee! I noticed that I like making words do this:

Word

word word

word word word

word word

word

It's cause I'm crazy (nodnod)

R/R time!:

The Gifted Ten: Yep! This fic was influenced by Bound By Darkness (which all of you other ppl reading this should go check out cause it rocks my face) but I tried not to create too many similarities (sweat-drop) I can't wait to see how I spin this tale either! Lmao I kinda forgot to develop the plot and whatnot again (more sweat-dropage) just like all my/our other fics, ne? Keep rockin my face with your reviews! OH! And work on FA9!!!!! Or I kill you. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAA

Will's Girl: there! I updated : ) Yay!

ShadowedDarkness: Oh come on, Ansem in a dress is fricken hilarious! Yes, it may have scarred you for life but you know you laughed at the thought (Wink) Anyway! Hope you liked this chappie!

3 reviews! Yay!

Oh how easily I am made content

DB


	3. What was lost

Moon Glow 

What was lost.

Summary: (multiple pairings) What would have happened if Kairi hadn't recognized Sora as a heartless? Would Riku have been able to break free from Ansem's grasp in time to save Sora's heart from being completely destroyed by The Darkness? Let's find out, shall we?

Disclaimer: man…haven't written one of these in a looooong time…. But yeah, as much as I love Kingdom Hearts and all the charries involved in the game, Alas, it's not mine. I wish I had enough money to change that though.

-

_I saw you last night and got that old feeling  
When you came in sight I got that old feeling  
The moment that you danced by I felt a thrill  
And when you caught my eye  
My heart stood still  
Once again I seemed to feel that old yearning  
And I knew the spark of love was still burning  
There'll be no new romance for me  
It's foolish to start  
For that old, old feeling is still in my heart _

Once again I seemed to feel that old yearning  
And I knew the spark of love was still burning  
There'll be no new romance for me  
It's foolish to start  
For that old, old feeling is still in my heart  
Still in my heart  
Still in my heart

-Rod Stewart, "That old Feeling"

* * *

The light over head was beginning to wane the further it led him into the core of Darkness. He tried to hurry his pace so he could get to wherever the light was taking him before it was gone. Yellow eyes leered at him from all sides, knowing he wasn't one of them because he had a heart…

_Traitor…_

_Unwanted…_

_Get out of here…_

Imposter… 

_Liar…_

He clamped his claw-like hands on either side of his head to try to drown out the harsh hisses, but it was to no avail. Their words seemed to pierce his small body and make him want to die…

But he couldn't give up! Not just yet! Not without finding Riku! He pushed on faster, his strength renewed by his fear and determination. If only he had his voice! If only he could call out! Maybe then Riku could recognize it and find him! He heard himself hiss again

_Riku…_

_Find me…_

_Riku…_

What if the boy didn't hear? What if he was consumed by the same darkness that was threatening to consume him as well? What if he couldn't discern his voice from the rest of the Heartless'?

_Riku!_

_Please Riku_

_You must find me!_

_I'm so lost_

_Riku!_

The light above flickered and then faded back into nothingness, leaving Sora alone in the dark. The other heartless noticed that there was nothing left to protect the heart the imposter had from them.

And so, they attacked.

* * *

"Where's Sora?" Leon asked accusingly as Donald and Goofy brought Kairi into their home. "Where's the Keyblade master?" He insisted again upon receiving no answer.

Donald turned on his heel, brandishing his staff like a club. "We don't know where he is so shaddup before I conk you over the head!" He shouted a bunch of incoherent words as he was picked up and put behind his companion.

"Uh... Sorry Leon, Donald just isn't so good with dealing with too much stress… " The large dog took his hat off and scratched the top of his head before returning it. "Truth is…we don't know where Sora is either." He said guiltily, offering up a shrug. "He didn't come back out of the castle after that Riku unlocked Miss Kairi's heart…"

Leon put his hand to his forehead. "So let me get this straight…you lost the Keyblade master!?"

"Seems that way.." Goofy said, looking down at his feet. "we're real sorry…"

"It's alright, knowing Sora, he'll be okay." Aerith said reassuringly, walking over and patting Goofy on the shoulder. "So, you're the Kairi Sora has been searching so frantically for?" She said smiling as she looked over at the girl who had remained silent since arriving.

The redheaded girl nodded and then looked away, blushing a little. Did Sora really care about her that much? Maybe there was still hope that he'd come out of the castle alive… Maybe Goofy was wrong…

"Well…I think we should uh be getting back to Hollow Bastion to look for Sora some more, you don't mind watching Miss Kairi here, d'ya Miss Aerith?"

"No problem Goofy." She took Kairi's hand. "Come on, you must be hungry, huh?" But she didn't wait for an answer as she pulled her into the makeshift kitchen.

Leon still looked more than mildly pissed, which wasn't really anything new for him anyway. "I'm coming with you..."

"Aw shucks Leon, we can do it on our own! You don't hafta come with us."

"I said I'm coming with you. You guys lost him, how do you expect to find him? Now let's get going." He turned and walked brusquely out the door into the Third District, not bothering to wait for the other two.

"Well…guess we better follow 'im, uh right Donald?"

After a long stream of curses in what seemed to be a different language and a few seconds of the duck hyperventilating, Goofy was grabbed by the sleeve and dragged out of the room.

"Uh…I guess that's a yes..."

* * *

Riku could've sworn he saw a light shining down through the Darkness a ways off, but his mind dismissed that as impossible because no light could exist in the pure shadow in that place. Still, his heart fluttered with hope and told him that that's where Sora would be, in whatever light he could find.

A large group of heartless rushed past him, leaving his skin burning with the icy chill of having touched something soulless. He frowned, Heartless never swarmed like that unless… "Sora!" Now, he knew without doubt, the Sora was in that direction.

He gave chase, running so hard that his lungs nearly busted and yet he still seemed to be getting nowhere! More heartless swarmed by, eyes aflame with the promise of regaining the hearts they lost a long time ago.

That many would kill Sora! He had little time to lose! He pushed himself harder, ignoring the protest of his body. He didn't matter, not when it came to Sora!

Riku stopped because the thick gathering of heartless was preventing him from moving any further. There had to be at least 20 feet of heartless separating him from the core of it, from where Sora would be… How could he possibly get through that many?! Maybe he still had some ability to control them. He stood panting, trying to get enough breath to shout loud enough for them all to hear.

"STOP IT!" He shouted hoarsely, but to no avail. They just wouldn't listen to his frantic cries when the promise of a heart was involved. So, maybe he could call to Sora instead. "SORA! FIGHT BACK!"

_Whose voice was that?_

"FIGHT THEM SORA!"

_Who wanted him to be saved?_

"PLEASE! YOU MUST LISTEN TO ME!"

_Could it be that boy?_

"SORA!"

_Riku…_

The heart the shadows were after glowed bright with renewed fire. The Heartless backed away, doubting their ability to take a heart so strong.

Riku pushed through the retreating Heartless before they could change their mind and swarm on his Light in more numbers. He wouldn't let them snuff Sora out…not after finding him again. Steadily, he made his way toward the center, only to find a Heartless cringing in pain even though it's jagged grin still remained in lace. Where was his friend? Where was Sora?!

_Riku…_

It's yellow eyes set on his and it rose to its feet, reaching out for the silver-haired boy.

_Riku…_

"Sora?! Is that you in there!?" It was hard to tell if the Heartless was nodding once it started up it's dance, but who else could it be? Who else could make his heart beat so fast? "Oh no... Sora!" He grabbed the Heartless and pulled it close. "What's happened to you!?"

He felt so warm in that embrace. He had found someone who knew him for who he was! And that name he kept repeating…That was his own name!

_Sora…_

_That's me…_

_That's my name!_

_I'm Sora.._

_Riku!_

"Yes… You're Sora…my poor Sora." It burned to hold the body his friend was trapped in because it hurt so badly. "Oh what a mess you've gotten yourself into! Let me see if I can at least help a little.." He pulled back and placed both of his hands on the little Heartless' tiny shoulders and willed with all his might for it's form to change to that of an anti-Sora.

His body shifted and contorted as he grew taller. His claws became fingers and his jagged teeth returned to normal, no longer did it look like he was seeing things through a magnifying glass. "Is this what I looked like?" He was still made of shadow but, now he didn't seem so helpless.

Riku opened his eyes upon hearing Sora's question. "It worked!" He threw his arms around the boy's shoulders. How good it felt to be holding that familiar shape! And yet, how much it burned…

"Is this the real me?" Sora asked again, not sure how to react to the other boy's touch. Exactly how close were he and Riku back in that place so full of light? He didn't remember…What if they were enemies? No…his heart told him that they weren't.

"No…" Riku said, pulling away. "This is just a form that will help you fight better against the rest of the Heartless."

"Heartless? Am I…. a Heartless? I look like them…Am I one of them?"

"No! Oh god no! You're different from them!" He reached out and put a hand on Sora's chest, over where his heart was. "This is what makes you different from everyone here."

"Even you? Are you a heartless?" The anti-Sora tilted his head slightly, frowning while trying to understand. He had forgotten so much since arriving here… He barely knew or understood anything anymore. Well, except that his heart, the thing that made him different, responded to that boy…Riku must have been special to him…

Riku winced and didn't know what to say. He still had his emotions and he felt love…so he couldn't have lost his heart… But he had done things that were so unforgivable. "I don't know…" He answered softly.

Sora reached out and touched Riku's face. "You don't look like me…or any of them." He looked around at the yellow eyes peering at them, waiting for the chance to strike again. "So you must not be a Heartless… You're too good to be a Heartless…You saved me."

The tears welled up in his eyes. "No Sora…I'm not a Heartless like them…I'm much worse because I knew what I was doing was wrong, but I did it anyway… They don't know any better…I'm such a terrible person!" He reached up and pulled Sora's hand from his face.

The anti-Sora frowned deeper and put his hands on Riku's shoulders. "What bad things have you done?"

"I betrayed you! Over and over again! I turned my back on you even though I knew it would hurt you!"

"But you saved me…that wasn't bad, was it?"

"No…You don't understand! I'm so sorry…"

He didn't know what compelled him to do so, but soon Sora found him holding Riku close. "My heart says you aren't bad at all… so stop trying to say that you are. My heart says you wouldn't ever hurt me…and I trust it…and you…"

His words managed to shatter the frail wall that held back his tears. That was the Sora he knew…The boy that would always comfort him regardless of what he had done. He had found him; he had found his Light.

* * *

Ansem approached the door that would open to reveal and let loose The End of the World. He put his hands on the door and pushed with all his might, but it wouldn't give way! Growling in his frustration, Ansem took a step back and glared at the keyhole. "I need that boy's Keyblade.

He tried to summon it, but it didn't work…which meant that the boy was still alive and that he had really made a huge mistake turning Riku loose. He swore under his breath and turned around, staring at the Darkness that loomed behind him. "Find them!" He barked. "And bring them to me…" Thousands of yellow eyes opened and then disappeared as the swarms of Heartless turned and ran in their grotesque way towards the two boys. "I will open the door that leads to Kingdom Hearts and nothing will stop me..."

TBC

A/N: WOO! I GOT KINGDOM HEARTS CHAIN OF MEMORIES!!!!!!! (dances uber crazy) The graphics are surprisingly awesome for the game boy and the card style battling isn't as bad as I thought it would be! You can still mash the A button and get the same effect as mashing the X button so it's all good. : ) (Im a button masher so yeah…) Sorry it took me a while to update. I just wasn't feeling too horribly inspired but the game changed that! Woo! This chapter doesn't seem as good as the others and it's kinda sappy but whatever…

R/R TIME!:

Salena-Jagonashi: Thanks for reviewing! It means a lot to me : )

Will's Girl: yeah…poor buddy (pets riku) He's gone through so much and it isn't anywhere near over yet.

Ravena Night: Hope you liked this chappie!

diamondprincess2006: There ya go! More for you! Yay!

SilentRemorse: KH Chain of memories is already taking away what little life I have left…I'll be like gone forever when KH2 comes out! Lmao Thanks for reading and reviewing!

DieChan: I love you too? (sweatdrop) Glad you like it so far!

That's everybody who reviewed on the last chapter!

Will Ansem catch the two boys? Or will they find away out? What about my promise of Ansem x Sora?!

Stay tuned!

Until next time…

DB


	4. Separation

Moon Glow

Separation

Summary: (multiple pairings) What would have happened if Kairi hadn't recognized Sora as a heartless? Would Riku have been able to break free from Ansem's grasp in time to save Sora's heart from being completely destroyed by The Darkness? Let's find out, shall we?

Disclaimer: man…haven't written one of these in a looooong time…. But yeah, as much as I love Kingdom Hearts and all the charries involved in the game, Alas, it's not mine. I wish I had enough money to change that though.

_/ Everytime we say goodbye  
I die a little  
Everytime we say goodbye  
I wonder why a little  
Why the gods above me  
Who must be in the know  
Think so little of me  
They allow you to go _

When you're near  
There's such an air  
Of spring about it  
I can hear a lark somewhere  
Begin to sing about it  
There's no love song finer  
But how strange the change  
From major to minor  
Everytime we say goodbye

There's no love song finer  
But how strange the change  
From major to minor  
Everytime we say goodbye /

Rod Stewart "Everytime We Say Goodbye"

* * *

The tears had stopped flowing as a sudden sensation of dread worked its thorny way down his spine. "We need to move..." He said, pulling out of the embrace.

The anti-Sora looked at him quizzically. "But why? They aren't attacking us." He said, gesturing at the peering eyes surrounding them. "They're afraid."

Riku took his hand and laced his fingers in it. "Hold still and listen…ignore the voices around us and listen off into the distance…Can you hear all the voices joining together to form one single cry?"

Closing his eyes, he listened for the noise that Riku was hearing…there! He could hear it…"Yes… They're basically saying: 'capture the boys…get the boy who's lost his way…. Get the boy who's like us…'" His yellow eyes snapped open. "That must be you!" He tugged on Riku's arm. "You're right, let's run for it! I don't want them to take you from me!"

The silver haired boy still felt nauseous from the running earlier but he refused to fall back into Ansem's clutches! He pressed on; finding strength in the thought that Sora didn't want him to go. A small smile graced his lips as he ran before he realized that the Heartless were following them. "I don't think we'll be able to make it Sora!"

The Anti-Sora looked back over his shoulder and smiled reassuringly. "You doubt me…but I'll prove you wrong! You won't fall into their claws!"

Steadily, the roar grew louder and now even Riku, who wasn't so versed in the Heartless' tongue, could understand their cry.

_Get him…_

_Capture the boy…_

_The one out of place…_

_Get the boy who is lost…_

The one with the key… 

_One just like us…_

_Get him…_

Their cry reached out and ran its jagged claws through his hair and down his back, causing him to shudder as it grew louder. 

_The one with the key_

_We just want him_

_The other can die_

His heart stopped for a moment before it began pounding furiously in order for him to run alongside the Anti-Sora who never seemed to run out of energy. They weren't after him…they were after Sora, the one with the Keyblade. "Sora! You have to get out of here!"

"No! I won't let them have you!"

"They don't _want_ me! They want _you_!" He shouted, but was drowned out by their hissing screams. He tightened his grip on Sora's hand and was looked at by two confused, yet warmly glowing yellow eyes. Riku looked back over his shoulder and saw a huge swarm of Heartless towering over them, all with claws extended and jaws opened wide.

_Kill the other one_

_We want the one with the key_

An idea struck Riku over the head like a bag of bricks…. Running through the shadows wasn't going to get them anywhere when the Heartless were shadows themselves! However, he could still conjure up a portal to the nearest place to there: Hallow Bastion. The only problem was that using up the last of his magic reserves would take an immense toll on his strength and there was a huge possibility he wouldn't make it out alive….

He looked at Sora and then behind him…there was about 25 feet separating them from the swarm of Shadow. He stopped and was jerked forward by the still running Sora. The heartless-boy stopped and looked at Riku again.

"Don't stop! We have to keep going!"

"I don't have enough strength to keep going." He said breathlessly and pulled on Sora's hand, bringing him closer. "Look, I want to save you to make up for what I've done! They'll bring you to Ansem if I don't get you out of here!" He pulled the boy into a rough hug and then pulled back, releasing his hand before opening up a portal to Hollow Bastion behind the Anti-Sora. "GET OUT OF HERE!" He shouted as he fell on his knees, concentrating to keep the portal open.

His yellow eyes searched his friend's pallid face and then looked at the heartless behind him noting how close they were now. "No!" He pulled Riku off the ground and pushed him forward, holding his hand so they wouldn't get torn apart again going through the portal.

The heartless grabbed hold of Sora's free hand and tore into his arm, jerking him back.

"SORA!" Riku shouted, fighting to keep his grip on the boy.

The anti-Sora knew that if he held onto Riku's hand any longer, that the heartless would get him. "Riku… I won't ever forget you… And that it was _you_ who gave _me_ the Paopu fruit that sunset…instead of that girl…"

Riku's heart was torn in half as Sora smiled the way he used to before completely letting go of his hand and was yanked back into the darkness as Riku was shoved forward through the portal. That was all he could take…upon feeling the marble floor beneath him, he collapsed and fell into a deep, dreamless slumber.

* * *

Donald growled, as he is prone to do when irritated, as a bunch of Heartless ships grouped up and heading straight for them.

Leon sighed in irritation, massaging his temples at Donald's fifteenth outburst since they left Traverse town before picking him up by the back of his shirt and dropping him onto the floor next to the pilot's seat before he plopped down in it. "Watch and learn, Duck." He said with a smirk as he easily dodged the onslaught of enemies and managed to take a few down as well without even getting a scratch on the Gummi Ship. "I think I'll be taking over since I want to get us there as soon as possible and in one piece."

The mage's face went red and steam began pouring out of his ears. "WHY YOU-" Then he proceeded to flail about madly, screaming a bunch of obscenities that are too disgusting to be listed here. Once that stage of his tirade was over, he grabbed his staff and charged at Leon and would have beaten him senseless had Goofy not have grabbed the back of his shirt.

"Now, now Donald…be reasonable…Leon's only tryin' ta help! That's no reason to go a beatin' his head in!"

"Nonsense!!! It's a perfectly good reason!!!"

"You know, I _am_ sitting right _here_." The Gunblade wielder said in an annoyed voice. "And shut up before I pluck you and roast you for dinner, understood?"

And that, managed to send Donald flying into berserk mode. Luckily, Goofy was used to Donald like that and merely conked him over the head with his shield to knock him out. "Gawrsh…Sorry 'bout that Leon…But ya shouldn't try to set Donald off like that!"

"Whatever…"He swept his hand back through his hair, deciding it was best not to piss off someone bigger than him with a huge shield,and continued flying the Gummi Ship with ease through random heartless groups. About thirty minutes later, they arrived at Hallow Bastion.

Goofy prodded Donald and then lifted an eyelid. "Uh Donald? Are ya in there?"

An angry eye focused on him before he was conked over the head with the mage's staff. "Idiot…" the duck grumbled, hopping up and dusting himself off. "Well? What are we waiting for!? Let's get going!" Donald huffed with indigence before exiting the Gummi Ship.

Leon helped Goofy up. "How can you _stand_ him?! I'd have accidentally shoved him off a cliff by now!"

Goofy chuckled and scratched the top of his head. "Well… him an' I are friends! You tend ta forgive people you've known all your life." He grinned and left the ship.

"Well whatever works I suppose." Leon shrugged and followed after them to the lift-stop. Upon entering the castle, the group discovered a boy lying face down on the floor, his yellow and black clothing torn up and patches of skin cut and bruised.

"Heya Donald…That looks like…" The dog frowned and then his suspicions were confirmed. "It's Riku!"

The Mage looked at the boy in distaste. "That's good and all…but if he's here….then where's _Sora_?"

TBC

A/N: Yay! I updated! I had to pry myself away from CoM but I updated! Whee! It's not a particularly _long _chapter but it's longer than I was originally planning to have it. I'm getting close to fulfilling my promise of Ansem x Sora! (cause I'm curious to see how that'll end up ; ) ) SO yes….

R/R TIME!:

Will's Girl: Hope you liked this chapter!

DieChan: Yeah kairi's stupid because she DIDN'T FRICKEN JUMP OFF OF THE SAND! ARGH! (stabs her repeatedly) I'm going to try to figure out a way to kill her off or something… I don't heart kairi!!! Thanks for reviewing!!!

Kat: Yes it does! The last chapter was kinda too fluffy for me but whatever (shrugs) Glad you liked it!

diamondprincess2006: I'm in Twilight Town at the moment and I hope you've beaten whoever you were fighting : ) Thanks for teh reviewness!

LiLsTuBbOrNgRl: (blinks) thank you? (sweatdrop)

Kaleena55: No worries! Ramblingness is fun! That awesome that your uncle was a singer!!! Yeah, I like Rod Stewart! He has lyrics to fit nearly every chapter of this fic! X3 Anyway! Keep reading!

XxX Chains XxX : I'm pretty sure they will in the end but I make no promises! Lol

clueless97: That's exactly what it is! Lmao thanks for reviewing : )

Evil Pancake: (attacked for writing a good story) AIIIE! Don't kill me cause then I can't write anymore! Thanks for reviewing!

don't have one yet: things are only starting to go downhill for the poor boys (sigh) poor poor riku and sora

Xeora: wish granted! (peace sign)

So! Will Sora ever get his body back? Will Riku find a way to Stop Ansem from opening Kingdom hearts? What is the point of Kairi still being in this story!? Will the Sora x Ansem I promised turn out to be yaoi-licious or blechy? Will I stop writing these weirdass announcer thingys?! (prolly not cause they're fun) Until next time!

Stay tuned!

DB


	5. Losing One's Trust

Moon Glow

Losing One's Trust

Summary: (multiple pairings) What would have happened if Kairi hadn't recognized Sora as a heartless? Would Riku have been able to break free from Ansem's grasp in time to save Sora's heart from being completely destroyed by The Darkness? Let's find out, shall we?

Disclaimer: man…haven't written one of these in a looooong time…. But yeah, as much as I love Kingdom Hearts and all the charries involved in the game, Alas, it's not mine. I wish I had enough money to change that though.

-_A cigarette that bears a lipstick's traces  
An airline ticket to romantic places  
And still my heart has wings  
These foolish things remind me of you _

A tinkling piano in the next apartment  
Those stumblin' words that told you what my heart meant  
A fairground's painted swings  
These foolish things remind me of you

You came, you saw, you conquered me  
When you did that to me  
I knew somehow this had to be

The winds of March that make my heart a dancer  
A telephone that rings but who's to answer?  
Oh, how the ghost of you clings  
These foolish things remind me of you

The scent of smoldering leaves the wail of steamers  
Two lovers on the street who walk like dreamers  
Oh how the ghost of you clings  
These foolish things  
Remind me of you

How strange, how sweet, to find you still  
These things are dear to me  
They seem to bring you so near to me

The sigh of midnight trains in empty stations  
Silk stockings thrown aside dance invitations  
Oh how the ghost of you clings  
These foolish things  
Remind me of you  
Remind me of you  
Remind me of you-

-Rod Stewart "These Foolish Things"

* * *

Back and forth, he was tossed amongst the shadows, claws and teeth raked against his shadow flesh and their harsh hissing voices cut through his eardrums, aiming to pierce his brain with their cries. He tried to struggle, but his efforts were in vain, leaving him no other choice than to be taken away to wherever they were going. They had wanted him after all… And yet, he didn't mind being captured alone because it meant that Riku wasn't going to be killed by the Heartless.

_Riku…_

That boy remembered him. He helped him regain his memories by just by the act of calling out his name. What would've happened if Kairi had done the same? He wouldn't have even been into the Abyss of Shadows…He would've remembered all the things that were coming back to him now! He might've even returned to his normal form… But she didn't, leaving him to fend for himself…If it weren't for Riku, he's be dead…or worse, like those carrying him off to some unknown location.

He lost himself in his mind, delving deep for the flickers he had thought were gone forever. He saw Riku and the others playing on the beach. Him and Riku were, yet again competing over the girl but afterward; neither of them ever made a move for her. They were always just looking for excuses to play together, to test each other, to see who needed to be protected more and who could provide that protection. It was ironic that the constant loser would wind up the hero… That the one whom never needed rescuing was the one who looked up to him as his savior.

What could have happened to him to warp his perception like that? What could have changed Riku's strong character so much that he would actually submit to him without there even being a challenge? Sure, Sora had played the hero up until that point, but his friend had done so all the years prior…Why would Riku change now? Was it because of the shadows?

"It was because of me." Came the smug reply to all of his silent questions.

He opened his eyes quickly, cursing himself for not being aware of his change in surroundings. Amber eyes bore into his own, seeming to search his very soul. His mind searched for a name to go with the angular bronze face so close to his own…

"I don't have enough strength to keep going." He said breathlessly and pulled on Sora's hand, bringing him closer. "Look, I want to save you to make up for what I've done! They'll bring you to Ansem if I don't get you out of here!"

_Ansem…_

"Ansem…." He whispered, delving deeper for any memories attached to that name…. But none could be found.

"That's right…" Ansem's gloved hand reached out and touched his face. "Seems unlocking that girl's heart did more to you than I originally thought it had…No matter…You still possess the key I need."

"K-key?" Sora whispered, not completely sure whether or not to pull away from the man with the fierce eyes. "I-I don't have a key…"

"Ah…so you've lost all your memories? Hmm…" He mused aloud, pulling away and looking down at the boy.

"Not all of them…I remember Riku and Kairi and-"

"Save it…You remember what was etched into your heart and nothing else; you've forgotten all the important things you've learned on your way here…" His cold, calculating eyes searched the boy's open face while forming a plan to twist his partially blank mind to his advantage.

The Keyblade wielder stood up and lifted his chin a little, as he usually did before asking a question when he was slightly afraid. "C-can you help me…? To remember?" Something told him that he was making a huge mistake…but what other choice did he have? It's better to face the world with some knowledge than without any at all. Even if that knowledge may prove to be false, there will always be someone out there to enlighten you when you are wrong.

_-This will be too easy-_ Ansem thought with a smirk. "Anything you wish, Sora…" Oh the things he was going to do to that boy's body, mind and soul….

* * *

Riku was jolted awake as he was lifted off the ground and placed against a firm, but warm surface. He could hear voices and decided to pretend he was still sleeping to figure out what was going on.

"Care to remind me why I'm carrying the boy again?" A slightly deep voice asked in annoyance.

"I'm too small and do you honestly want to entrust someone to that big klutz over there?" At least that's what Riku assumed he had heard coming from that warped voice.

Well…it seemed he made it to Hollow Bastion alive. He expected to wake up in a lot more pain but it didn't matter, his heart was hurting more than enough to make up for it. He had let Sora slip away into Ansem's clutches…It was all his fault! If only he had thought of the escape sooner…If only he had held tighter and pulled harder…

Maybe him and Sora were never meant to be happy together… Maybe that was why whenever they were together, even for the slightest moment, they were torn apart in the most vicious of ways by the hands of fate.

"Mind not trying to choke me there, kid?" Leon grumbled.

Riku's eyes snapped open. "S-sorry…I didn't realize-" He let the sentence die in his throat, looking around him to figure out where exactly they were. They were about to board the lift-stop to take them to the Rising Falls at the entrance of Hollow Bastion.

"Forget it…" Leon said, figuring that the kid wasn't going to add anything else to that oh so profound statement.

"Uh…Glad yer awake there, Riku! Donald had to use Curaga on ya like 5 times but 'least yer awake now! A-hyuck!" Goofy said happily, slapping Riku on the back, which almost caused Leon to topple over.

"Watch it there! I'm the one getting the brunt of the force!" The Gunblade wielder grumbled.

"You can put me down if you want…I should be able to stand." Riku said quietly, not entirely sure if he could, but was willing to try just to get away from the moody pretty boy carrying him.

"As you wish…" came Leon's sarcastic reply before he dropped Riku onto the lift-stop behind him, causing it to rock a little at the sudden impact but it quickly regained it's level surface as it oh so slowly made it's way towards the platform at the end.

"Gee thanks." Riku said stonily, folding his arms over his chest. "Who are you anyway? I know these guys but I don't recall ever seeing any scarred up, grumpy pretty-boys last time I dropped by Traverse town…"

"You really shouldn't talk, kid… The name's Leon… And you're Riku from what these guys tell me." He said, jerking a thumb over at Goofy and Donald. "The same that betrayed Sora"

"Shut up" Riku snapped, but Leon continued.

"And even tried to kill him a few times if the stories are correct…"

"I said shut up" He shouted, lashing out, attempting to strike the arrogant man across the jaw.

The Gunblade wielder easily caught the blow with the palm of his hand. "-Which would make you a threat to our cause…"

Donald and Goofy watched the exchange, glancing at each other, neither certain about what to do.

Riku looked at the smirking man with a mixture of hurt and anger. "If you had any idea how it felt to fight against someone you loved" Leon's hand closed tightly over the boy's fist, wrenching it to the side while crushing it. "Don't you ever assume I don't know how it feels…" He narrowed his steely blue eyes into an icy glare.

"I had to watch him be controlled like a puppet…I had to try to cut the strings without killing him…. Much like I assume Sora had to do for you…"

The silver-haired boy narrowed his eyes, his lips pressed together to keep in the flurry of insults he wanted to hurl at the man standing in front of him. Goofy scratched the top of his head.

"Uh…guys…we're at the end of the lift-stop…."

"Yeah! So get offa there so we can go back to Traverse Town" The duck squawked out in irritation. Leon let go of Riku's hand and stepped off the platform, the boy following behind them in dismal silence as they made their way toward the Gummi Ship. Once inside, Goofy clapped his hand on Riku's back again. "Cheer up there Riku! Kairi'll be happy to see ya when you get inta Traverse Town"

"Kairi…." He whispered, trying to place a face with the name…and then it all sunk in. His eyes went wide and his mouth went dry, "Kairi" Riku shouted, not sure whether to be filled with joy…. Or sick to his stomach.

* * *

"So…" Sora said quietly, tearing his eyes away from Ansem's as the story seemed to fall into place… "Riku _did _betray me…" He closed his eyes and fell to the ground, covering his ears as Ansem's web of lies entangled him in their seductive sway.

"Yes… he wanted that which all those who have fallen from the path want, a heart… But he couldn't settle for any heart…He had to have the most innocent he could find, the one that would be the sweetest one to break…Yours" Ansem kneeled down in front of the boy so they were eye-level again. "But he didn't get it…it still beats in your chest and so you have nothing to be upset over."

The heartless boy threw his arms around Ansem's shoulders, desperate for contact, to feel like he wasn't alone. "Why would he do that to _me_? He was never mean to me…not once!"

"Most lies are spoken through kindness…" Ansem said gently with a smirk on his face as he wrapped his arms around the boy in return. "If he were mean to you, he wouldn't have been able to break you in the way he was planning to… In order to have your heart, he must take it in its entirety…The only way to do that is to pluck it from the fullest bloom of love." Ansem bent his head in order to whisper into Sora's ear. "I also have a suspicion that it wasn't just your heart he wanted, but your body as well."

"M-my body?" Sora stuttered, pulling back from the older man. "W-why would he want that?"

Ansem pulled him back closer. "Do you really want me to tell you?" He paused, waiting for an answer but none came. "As I thought…You need nothing more than to trust me Sora…" He felt the boy's arms tighten around his shoulders. "Do you trust me?"

Sora bit down on his lip, his eyes squeezed shut. _Wrong!_ **_Wrong!_** **_Wrong!_** His heart screamed at him. It was all wrong! Everything Ansem was saying was a LIE!

But his mind didn't have all the knowledge his heart had… His mind was able to piece everything that the man told him together… and it all fit…

Every time he had Sora pinned, the moments that passed before he moved…

All the times Riku let his eyes linger a second longer…

Every brush of the hand…

Every careless smile…

It was all to get at the thing he prized the most: his heart.

"Do you trust me Sora?" Ansem repeated.

"Yes… Ansem…" His grip on the man tightened for a moment and then went lax as he pulled back, looking into those predator's eyes with a grim expression. "I trust you…" He put his hands on either side of the man's face. "I want you to teach me…" He took in a deep breath, realizing his words just very well may be the final nails in his heart's coffin. "Teach me how to hide my heart…. Teach me never to trust anyone but you ever again…"

He couldn't suppress the smile that crossed his lips. "As you wish." Ansem said with a slight chuckle. "As you wish…."

TBC

A/N: Heee…heheheheehe I like this pairing (happy dazed look) …Oh right! Um… Yeah this chapter was a little longer than the other ones and I hoped you liked it! Ansem's a bad baaad man… Seriously, I think this is what Sora would do if he lost his memory…He's not exactly the brightest crayon in the box….but he sure is the cutest! (glomps him) I need to draw me some fanart for this fic and put it up on my deviantart account! So yeah…on to the reviewer's reply!

Oh before I forget! I BEAT CoM! WOOO! Now I'm playing as riku! YAY!

R/R TIME:

Yersi Fanel: Sorry but I don't think I'm gonna have LXC or SXC in this story (sweatdrop) It's not that I don't _like_ those pairings (in fact I like em very much!) it's just that it would take away from the story line. Maybe I'll write another fic later on with those pairings. Keep reading!

Sai-ryo Aura Feana: lmao! DIE KAIRI! DIIIIIE! (cough) ANYWAY! Actually, this chick might play an important role later on in the fic and/ or she might be killed off. Who's to say? (evil grin)

Uzumaki901: yeah the main coupling will be riku x sora….although it may seem like Ansem x Sora will be prevalent, it's only because it'll add more deapth to the angst and more of an obstacle for riku to overcome.

Dragonflame327: thankies!

clueless97: lol it's alright : ) Yeah, Donald needs some serious stress relievers or he might die from a heartattack or something…. Can ducks even GET heartattacks? …meh (shrugs)

Kaleena55:thanks for reviewing!

Squirrelgurl: AIIIE! DON'T KILL ME! (because then I couldn't update anymore!) thankes for the threa- I mean review…yeah… (sideglance/ sweatdrop)

The Gifted Ten: Oy…YOU'RE the goob here! Fricken goofus! (god I love that word! Lmao!) yeah we discussed why there can't be any riku x leon (as disappointing as that is) keep reading! (not that I need to tell you because you love me!)

XxX Chains XxX: it didn't work because he went into the shadows to avoid being killed. Because he did that, the darkness stole his memories of himself so it was too late for Sora to revert when Riku found him. Maybe Ansem'll help him find a way back (more evil grinning)

Will's Girl : whee! Glad you like it! Keep reading!

Salena-Jagonashi: eh heh heh….that wouldn't count as really bad right?….damnit it does, doesn't it? Oh well! More obstacles! Yay! Glad you like my fic! Thanks for reviewing!

Skaddicted: Surprisingly, not many people have wondered about it. I wonder about stuff like that in all the videogames and what not. Guess I'm insane. (shrugs) oh well!

diamondprincess2006: yeah most of my deck were 9's and I still had a hard time beating some of those stupid bosses (kicks em) BUT I WON IN THE END! TAKE THAT! HA! Stupid bastards.

Xeora: I can assure you that I won't taste very good. (sweatdrop)

Duo Maxwell-Chang: playing as riku is so much easier! Less fighting, less pointless talk, more interesting (and less confusing) storyline. Plus, he has badass combos! Fricken sora (kicks him) anyway! Thanks for the review and I'm glad you like my fic!

Crysania Fay: I updated! Yay! REJOICE!

NOW FOR THOSE THAT REVIEWED ON MY KINGDOMHEARTS POEM: Light of the Sun!

Kaleena55: Lmao! Isn't it though?

Sai-ryo Aura Feana: I might do one for CoM once I've beaten it as riku. I cant wait for KH2! Comes out in september! YAY!

Well that's all! See ya guys around!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

DB


	6. Tying New Strings

Moonglow

Tying New Strings

Summary: (multiple pairings) What would have happened if Kairi hadn't recognized Sora as a heartless? Would Riku have been able to break free from Ansem's grasp in time to save Sora's heart from being completely destroyed by The Darkness? Let's find out, shall we?

Disclaimer: man…haven't written one of these in a looooong time…. But yeah, as much as I love Kingdom Hearts and all the charries involved in the game, Alas, it's not mine. I wish I had enough money to change that though.

_-For all we know  
We may never meet again  
Before you go  
Make this moment sweet again_

_We won't say goodnight  
Until the last minute  
I'll hold out my hand  
And my heart will be in it_

_For all we know  
This may only be a dream  
We come and go  
Like a ripple on a stream_

_So love me, tonight  
Tomorrow was made for some  
Tomorrow may never come  
For all we know  
Tomorrow may never come  
For all we know –_

Rod Stewart "For All We Know"

* * *

"A-Ansem…what are you doing?" The heartless boy asked nervously as he was strapped to the same wall Riku was during his imprisonment. 

"Hush..." The older man said quietly. "This is all necessary. I need to remove all those awful memories of Riku in here" He laid his hand over Sora's chest, delighting in the icy feel of a heartless against his palm. "Now it will hurt, do not think that it won't." He flashed a devilish grin and took a step back, sending forth the same type of corrosive darkness he had given Riku in the beginning, knowing that it would eat away at all the memories on the surface and bury the rest deep underneath the wreckage his mind and heart would become.

The boy had squeezed his eyes shut as the blend of acid green and black energy tendrils shot at him, sinking into his chest and burning so badly, it felt as if the fires of hell had been loosed within him. He cried out in pain , thrashing as much as his ties could allow. "STOP IT! MAKE IT STOP!" he shouted at the grinning madman in front of him. But still the energy came, attacking the light within him and trying to smother it.

"Don't beg!" Ansem shouted back, displaying distaste for the first time since discovering Sora. Instead of listening to the boy, he doubled the load and then tripled it, giving him more power than he had ever given Riku. He would make Sora the ruthless killer that Riku never could be. "It's most unbecoming!"

The world frizzled, sparked and then went black. Sora had so much strength now that he could barely control his breathing, much less anything else. His fists clenched and unclenched as it coursed through his veins, turning the heartless flesh back into human skin, only to be covered with what looked like blue material, outlining his every tendon. The same happened to the rest of his body as his mind was dragged further and further into sweet chaos.

He opened his eyes, ignoring the part of him somewhere deep down forcing the tears to the surface. They spilled over his cheeks, but he did not feel weak, far from it.

_Ansem_ had made him stronger.

_Ansem_ had saved him from _Riku's_ corruption.

He mirrored his master's maniacal grin as he pulled his fist forward, easily tearing the ties of darkness that Riku never could. Then he tore the dark rope from his throat and freed the rest of his limbs. He was no taller than before, no physical change other than reverting to a somewhat normal looking state, and yet he had changed profoundly on the inside.

"Call the heartless." Ansem barked.

And Sora obeyed. And the Heartless obeyed, pooling around his feet like loyal dogs. Sora was disgusted with them and kicked the nearest one as hard as he could, sending it screeching back into the darkness out of sight. He grinned and picked up the next by its head and tore it from its body and tossed both pieces aside, watching as they vanished in a puff of smoke and as its heart tried to escape, only to be mauled by the other Heartless.

Ansem was purely and maliciously pleased with his new pet. "Come here, Sora" The boy obeyed without a second thought, lowering himself to one knee before the silver haired man.

"Yes Master?" He said in a voice that was a horrifying echo of Sora's voice; filled with hate and malice and malevolence that even Ansem's voice didn't contain.

"Tell me, Sora… Who do you serve?"

"You, Master." His head never left the bowed position as he answered, his entire manner entirely obedient. There's no room in a servants brain for any thought other than to please his master.

"Very good. Stand."

Without a second's hesitation, Sora rose to his feet, head still bowed so as not to look Ansem in the eye.

"Why are you crying?" He lifted the boy's chin, regarding his pallid, tear streaked face. "Are you not happy with what I've done for you?"

"The foolish part of me weeps for what I've lost." He said bitterly, averting his eyes again. "But it shall be gone soon."

"It had better be. Now I have a few more things to teach you before I let you go play with Riku."

"Yes, Master."

* * *

Kairi… _Kairi…_

He was really going to see her again? Oh god he couldn't take it! He'd go back to Ansem rather than face the very person he and Sora fought over all those times. He had never really liked her _in that way_. She was merely an excuse to spend more time in competition with Sora, as much as he hated to admit it, even _after_ his heart had been corrupted by Ansem's poison.

They made their way through the First District in Traverse Town, Goofy on his left and Donald on his right with that annoying prick Leon in the lead. He wondered how the other people viewed him. Did they think he was a dangerous convict, which he must've looked like with his tattered clothing and glaring expression, or like some haughty famous person fresh out of an epic battle with the heartless? Did famous people even exist in Traverse Town? He didn't know only having been there once before. And even then, it was only to see Sora…and …

And…

It felt as if someone stabbed him in the chest as he looked back on his last time in the town. To think how _stupid_ he was back then was painful in itself. He thought Sora had left him for the people surrounding him now! What an IDIOT! Why hadn't he seen Maleficent's claws wrap around his mind back then! It was so blatantly obvious now!

They made a few turns, walked through a few doorways and made their way into a sparsely decorated house that looked like it had been a storage shack previously. The haughty side of him, used to the huge rooms in Hollow Bastion, felt disgusted by its quaintness. But the rest of his brain humbled the arrogant side and he was plunged in misery again.

"Riku? Is it really you?"

The girl's voice sounded strangely surprised and disappointed at the same time and he grimaced as he heard it. "Yeah, it's me." He said, forcing a smile while murmuring under his breath "unfortunately…" When he raised his eyes from their fixed place on the ground, he saw her face and it had _life_ behind it instead of the death like expression she had had before. Granted, it was not the same as the life she had on Destiny Islands, but then, none of them would ever be the same. He kept his fake smile plastered on. "Glad to see you're finally awake. Sora'd be happy to see it too."

"Where is he? Is he with you?" Her face brightened at the mention of Sora's name and Riku immediately felt a sharp stab of anger and jealousy.

Sora was _his_. Sora loved _him_. Why did _she_ care? _She_ didn't fight. _She_ never lost anything. _She_ had no right to worry about Sora.

His smile faded. "No. He's not. It's not _your_ problem anyway." His words sounded harsher than he meant them to.

"I see." She looked hurt and then gave him a bright smile, forced and faked obviously, before retreating to a spot on a bed in the corner. She watched him from across the room as he took a seat at the rickety old table, putting his gloved hand over his face.

"What exactly happened between you all?" Leon asked as he took his usual place leaning against the wall. "Why have you and Sora been fighting? What drove you two to hate each other so much?"

"We never hated each other!" Riku snapped, his head jerking up and his sharp eyes resting on Leon's face. "We fought because…" He paused. He wanted to shout that it was because of _her_! Because of _Kairi_! _She_ was the one that drove them into competition. _She_ was the one who made them wonder what was outside the islands! _She_ was the one who drove him and Sora to opposite sides of the battlefield just to find her!_ She _was the reason he fell into Ansem's hands. It was all her _fault_! "We fought because we were friends… always trying to be better than the other. We were always trying to get the same prize and sometimes we," Each word was ground out as he tried to fight back the hatred welling up inside, as he tried to fight the darkness that was seeping into his heart again. "…we just lost control." His eyes left Leon's and fell onto the split and cracked wood surface of the table, it's appearance was attempted to be hidden underneath a few coats of paint, but it would not change its real status of decay.

"W-where is he now?" Kairi asked meekly, breaking the uneasy silence.

"In the hands of a psychopath." Riku said quietly with an ironic smile, not sure where the amusement came from. "For all I know he's probably being beaten, lied to, corrupted and desecrated by Ansem and the Darkness as we speak." His eyes rested on Kairi.

"W-what! Surely you don't mean that! You've got to be joking!" She shouted back, her hands balling into fists at her sides.

"Do I? He's probably going through the same things that I had to endure while you slept so peacefully. You have no idea what's been going on since your heart was locked within Sora's."

"I didn't ask to be put to sleep! All I wanted was to spend time with my best friends on an adventure! The one that _you_ suggested! You can blame me all you want, but at least tell me what's been happening!"

"You don't need to know. Now, you're an unimportant player in this game." He stood, pushing the chair back as he headed to the door. "All of you are unimportant now…" He opened the door and glanced over his shoulder. "I'll rescue Sora myself… Much like I'm sure you had to do for your loved one, Leon." And with that, the door slammed shut and Riku was wandering through the empty streets of Traverse Town with a heart so corrupt and broken, that not even the Heartless wanted it.

TBC…

A/N: Sorry it took so long, but the outside world has been pushing me around. I got kicked out of my house and I'm now at my grandma's. I'll try to get updates posted as soon as I can, but I can't make any promises. I need to work on A Killer Within next and then after that I'll work on the next chappie.

R/R time:

Tipsy-Dragon: xD! Nice! Well here's the update, enjoy.

Squirrelgurl: I'm glad that someone other than me and my friend kal enjoys the pairing! Everyone else is like "ew that's weird." Or whatever. Meh. Keep reviewing and I'll keep updating!

clueless97:I think Riku would've won! Sure, Leon played the good guy and had to suffer a little, but the puppet (riku) has to suffer humiliation, degredation, angst, possible rape, and all that other good-er I mean terrible stuff! Riku sooooo would've kicked his ass in the argument. Anyway! Yes, Donald has calmed down and probably won't be in the fic for a while. (Thank god.) and hopefully, neither will kairi! XD

Gabrielknight: LMAO! That is the perfect way of describing Ansem! "Insane Ansem is scary. Like some hot, evil version of Michael Jackson minus the singing..."! I laughed so hard after I read that. Anyway, I hate to break it to you, but Ansem _is_ a crazy pedophile! He's always hitting on Riku in Kingdom hearts and making Sadomasochistic innuendos! And I'm glad you enjoy the story : )

Sai-ryo Aura Feana: xD! Get her! RAWR! (helps in chasing after Kairi after donking Sora on the head for being stupid enough to trust Ansem.)

Krimzon: Woo! Didya all hear that? My story is PIMP! (dances) xD Thanks and I'm glad you also enjoyed it!

Xeora: Hey! Now I'm all covered in salt! Yucky!

Will's Girl: Yes, now sora is evil.

Kitsunechibiko: I updated now review!

Yersi Fanel: Please do! Link me to the site! I'm flattered that you wanna put my story up there! Thanks!

Kiishi-kun: Ah okies! Now I know who you are again xD. Um yes, Ansem is an evil, sadistic, mind bending bastard. Poor Riku and Sora (huggles said bishies)

ShadowedDarkness: wow! That's the second review that started out as "Damn you!" And I beat it because I rock. Email me if you'd like me to give you advice on how to beat certain bosses or whatever! I'll be glad to help. And YES Sora is with Ansem! BWAHAHAHAHAHA! It' kinky. I like it. (blows raspberry)

R/R for the ppl who reviewed "Light of the Sun":

Chibi Atariel Tsukai: thank you!

merlyn1382: lol only a little bit : )thanks

All the reviews I get for this fiction are sooo funny or sooo sweet. Thanks for reviewing! Until next time!

DB


	7. Prettier Lies Than Truth

Moon Glow

Prettier Lies Than Truth

Summary: (multiple pairings) What would have happened if Kairi hadn't recognized Sora as a heartless? Would Riku have been able to break free from Ansem's grasp in time to save Sora's heart from being completely destroyed by The Darkness? Let's find out, shall we?

Disclaimer: man…haven't written one of these in a looooong time…. But yeah, as much as I love Kingdom Hearts and all the charries involved in the game, Alas, it's not mine. I wish I had enough money to change that though.

-_We might have been meant for each other  
To be or not to be, let our hearts discover  
I have a feelin', it's a feelin' I'm concealin', I don't know why  
It's just a mental, incidental, sentimental, alibi  
But I adore you, so strong for you  
Why go on stallin', I'm fallin', love is callin', why be shy? _

Let's fall in love  
Why shouldn't we fall in love?  
Our hearts are made of it  
Let's take a chance, why be afraid of it?

Let's close our eyes  
And make our own paradise  
Little we know of it  
Still we can try to make a go of it

Now, we might have been meant for each other  
To be or not to be, let our hearts discover

Let's fall in love  
Why shouldn't we fall in love?  
Now is the time for it, while we are young  
Let's fall in love

Let's fall in love  
Let's fall in love-

-Rod Stewart, "Let's Fall in Love"

Riku's head was bowed as he moved through the miserable, empty streets of Traverse town. The rain was icy cold and took no time at all to chill him to his very bones. His heavy feet splashed in puddles as he continued his slow march to no where in particular. And his guilt, his bitterness, ate away at what little of a heart he had left.

"You fool…" He muttered to himself, wrapping his arms more tightly about his torso, shuddering as he kept on trudging. "You could have saved him…" And though he was devastated at the thought of what might be befalling Sora, his aquamarine eyes refused to shed any tears…. But only because there were no tears left to shed for anyone.

He'd leave that to Kairi, since she wasn't good for much else.

The vicious thought made him smile for a brief second before he became disgusted with himself. Turning the blame on her wouldn't profit him in any way. He needed to accept what he was responsible for, no matter how much he dreaded the prospect.

Suddenly, he heard the Heartless shuffling along in the darkness. He could feel their glowing eyes borrowing into his back. He was not afraid of them for what could they possibly do? He hadn't a heart to give them! Even as he thought of it, he felt a lance of pain shoot through where his heart should have been. "I'm worthless to little wretched monsters like you" He growled into the shadows, darting forward here and there in hopes to scare them back into the shadows.

That was when he actually took stock of his surroundings.

He had managed to get himself stuck in an alley by a sewer system. Above him, he could see three balconies to what looked like rooms of a hotel. Yes, he had been to Traverse Town before, but had never had the time to wander around it…

He was lost.

"Damn it!" He growled under his breath, wishing that he had paid more attention to the direction in which he wandered.

The hissing of the Heartless thundered in his ears, the malicious noises amplified by the stone walls surrounding him. The amount of the yellow eyes that leered at him doubled and tripled, but still they did not leave the shadows. Instead, he could trace the movements of their deranged, horrific dance as they waited for the right time to strike.

That was when he knew that he hadn't attracted the Heartless…. They were being sent to hunt him down. "ANSEM! SHOW YOURSELF!" Who else could it be that wanted him dead? Who else could possibly have such immense control over the Heartless that they could wait so patiently for the command to attack?

Riku… 

He looked sharply to his left and then to his right, his gloved palms pressed flat to the stone wall behind him as he took in hurried breaths. "Stop playing around!" He shouted, ignoring how his voice broke in the middle of it. "What have you done with Sora! SHOW YOURSELF!" He roared into the alleyway, only to be met with the increase in hissing noises, the clanking and chinking of armor and the snapping and cracking of teeth being gnashed together. "I know you're there!"

You don't know anything at all, Riku… 

"Get out of my head! Come out here and fight me!" He shouted, unable to resist the urge to cover his ears as he slumped against the wall.

Why should I? I'm already winning and I haven't even shown myself yet…

The voice gave new tumult within his soul. "You promised me freedom! What the hell kind of freedom is this?" He cried out, turning and pressing his forehead to the slick, wet stone.

Oh, no….You have me mistaken for someone else. I made no such promise to you…In fact, there never were any promises between us… Now that I think on it, we were barely even friends…

"What are you—Sora?…" No it couldn't be him. "Sora!" He shouted as he staggered backward, slipping on a wet stone and falling into the water drainage behind him. He inhaled water and sat up sharply, spluttering and choking as his already wet silver hair clung to his eyes.

Through the blur of water and hair, he saw a dark figure emerge from a portal of shadow and he recognized that silhouette…. He could recognize him anywhere.

"what has he done to you?" Riku roared, throwing himself onto his feet as he sloshed through the water, ignoring how he almost tripped as he dashed to Sora. He slowed to a stop not a foot away and looked upon the damage Ansem had done to his best friend. The outfit Sora wore now was very similar to the very one Ansem forced Riku to wear, only now it was solid black instead of blending into blue and red. The emblem of the heartless stuck out as a stark crimson color on his chest. Sora's face was pallid and ghastly, as if it had never felt the touch of sunlight upon it. The eyes that bore so deeply into his own were not blue, but golden.

Terrible laughter emerged from Riku's throat, hysterical laughter that he couldn't contain as he staggered backward in horror.

Sora was Ansem's new play-thing.

Riku stood no chance of beating him now. "Kill me, Sora. I don't deserve it," He said bitterly, his eyes still as dry as ever as he looked upon the cruel, twisted features of his beloved Sora. "but I know that's why you're here. I'm only in Ansem's way, after all…with this shell gone, he'll be free to have my heart…" He stared fearlessly into his friend's malicious eyes.

Before he could even blink, Sora had darted forward and slammed Riku against the wall. His black, gloved hands bit into the flesh of Riku's face as he pushed Riku's skull further into the stone behind him. "This has nothing to do with Ansem." He ground out before he threw the silver-haired boy to the ground. "…But everything to do with your heart."

Riku stared up at the sky, dazed and numb all over. He doubted that any amount of Cures in the world could fix the damage that Sora had done to the back of his skull. He was dimly aware that he was being lefted off of the ground and held in the air.

"You had none, even from the very beginning! You tried to take mine, slowly but surely you tried to take it away from me. You made me think you were my friend! That you loved me!" Sora shouted as he threw Riku into a gathering of Heartless.

Though he could feel little, he could feel the icy burn of the shadow flesh against his own, of the cloaws digging into his skin and the teeth sinking into his body. He was in hell, he thought. This could be no other place.

"See? You do not even try to combat my accusations." Sora said coldly, as it his every belief had just been proven by Riku's silence.

Truth was, though he dearly wanted to, Riku couldn't speak at all. His mouth wouldn't even open to scream as the Heartless tore into him. He was going to die, he was sure of it. He felt himself begin to black out.

_I loved you Sora….I love you still…But I can't make the truth more convincing than Ansem's lies._ He thought to himself, not really hoping that Sora could hear him. He admitted to himself all that he needed to.

He was ready for Oblivion.

"NO! You're lying!" he heard Sora scream as he felt the Heartless drop away from him.

_Use my blade…my heart is gone, but you can unlock my soul if you want….And see the secrets hiding there…Or else let me die._

There was nothing but the ringing in Riku's ears and even that was fading fast. Though he couldn't feel it, he knew he was bleeding to death. That was answer enough for him.

_So this is it…Take care of her, Sora…_

"RIKU! SORA! NO!"

TBC…

A/N: Short and teasing, but sweet. I haven't worked on this story in so long (as I'm sure you all know xD (dodges the throwing of knives and rotten fruit) ) and so, I kinda forgot where I was going with it. So! From here on out, it's sheer making it up as I go along!

This is where the R/R would go if I could remember who all reviewed (AND A BILLION THANKIES TO THOSE THAT DID!). But, you should thank GREEL for her reviews, else I would have entirely forgotten this fic and been content playing KH2 (insert smiley here) um….yeah until the next chapter!

DB

(runs away)


	8. The Devil Laughs

Moon Glow

The Devil Laughs

Summary: (multiple implied pairings) What would have happened if Kairi hadn't recognized Sora as a heartless? Would Riku have been able to break free from Ansem's grasp in time to save Sora's heart from being completely destroyed by The Darkness? Let's find out, shall we?

Disclaimer: man…haven't written one of these in a looooong time…. But yeah, as much as I love Kingdom Hearts and all the charries involved in the game, Alas, it's not mine. I wish I had enough money to change that though.

-_Thanks for the memory  
Of candlelight and wine, castles on the Rhine  
The Parthenon and moments on the Hudson River Line  
How lovely it was! _

Thanks for the memory  
Of rainy afternoons, swingy Harlem tunes  
And motor trips and burning lips and burning toast and prunes  
How lovely it was!

Many's the time that we feasted  
And many's the time that we fasted  
Oh, well, it was swell while it lasted  
We did have fun and no harm done

And thanks for the memory  
Of sunburns at the shore, nights in Singapore  
You might have been a headache but you never were a bore  
So thank you so much.

Thanks for the memory  
Of sentimental verse, nothing in my purse  
And chuckles when the preacher said "For better or for worse"  
How lovely it was

Thanks for the memory  
Of lingerie with lace, Pilsner by the case  
And how I jumped the day you trumped my one-and-only ace  
How lovely it was!  
Taken from  
We said goodbye with a highball  
Then I got as "high" as a steeple  
But we were intelligent people  
No tears, no fuss, Hooray! For us

So, thanks for the memory  
_And strictly entre-nous, darling how are you?  
And how are all the little dreams that never did come true?  
Aw'flly glad I met you, cheerio, and toodle-oo _

And thank you so much-

Rod Stewart, "Thanks for the Memory"

* * *

Aerith had been kind to her, providing her with food and the comfort she desperately needed after facing the brunt of Riku's cruel and desperate accusations. She had seen the rage and jealousy burning in his eyes when she expressed her concern. He had, after all, called her an unimportant player in this "game".

"Is that what he sees this as?" She murmured quietly as she sat alone in the room in the hotel that Aerith had provided for her. She wanted to be alone and this was a very nice retreat, that room of blue. She couldn't be angry with Riku, no matter how right she would have been in doing so. That much she knew.

She lay back on the plush bed and stared at the ceiling, humming a sad song to herself that she had never really heard before, her feet dangling off the side of the bed. "No, it's stupid of me to even think that Riku isn't taking this seriously." She said with a wry smile, blinking the tears forming at her eyes. Riku had always taken everything seriously…

The lights flickered out in her room and the shushing of the rain outside of her window was magnified a thousand times by the pervading darkness. She heard footsteps in the hallway, hurried but methodical as whomever it was crowded the hallway. She swore that she could hear hissing, but wrote it off as the water pouring down outside.

Still, something felt horribly wrong.

Cautious, and without a sound, the young girl sat up on her bed and walked to the door. She placed her hand on the doorknob and turned it slowly, peering out into the hallway. She quickly closed the door and her hands flew to her mouth to stifle the scream about to escape from her frail body. She locked the door and dashed over to the window, but couldn't see past the balcony in her way. She did, however, see more of those glowing yellow eyes that she'd seen in the hallway.

"I'm trapped…" She whispered, her heart thudding against her chest as she staggered back.

"ANSEM! SHOW YOURSELF!"

It was muted coming through her window, but she could still hear it and still tell that it was Riku shouting into the Alleyway. "Riku!" She cried softly. She desperately wished that she could help, but knew that—at most—she would only get in his way.

The door thundered behind her, the creatures outside pounding, clawing and scraping at her door. They had seen her when she peeked out and now she was going to pay for it… "No…" She whispered softly. "No." She said more firmly.

She was not going to die at the claws of some monster. "I'm coming to help you Riku!" She shouted and rushed forward, unlocking and throwing open her door. She sidestepped the bumbling heartless that streamed into her room, darting past their lazy attacks as she escaped into the hallway and out into the second district.

If she strained, she could hear Riku's anguished shouting and it enflamed her with strength she never knew before. She leapt down off of the pathway and darted to the opening to the alleyway, able to hear the Heartless closing in behind her as she entered.

What she saw broke her heart into a thousand pieces. Riku was splayed before a man dressed in shadows, the heartless ripping into him as the person who watched shouted insult after insult at him, hurling hateful words to her tortured and bleeding friend as he started to become ever more pale.

There seemed to be a silent exchange going on between them, the shadowed man covering his ears and shouting the words "NO! You're lying!" at Riku. His tone was one of desperation and sorrowful anger and his voice…

His voice was so familiar.

Riku smiled meekly, his eyes closing. For a second, her heart thundered in her ears, her hands shaking at her side. She saw the man in front of Riku grab a sword that had not been there a moment prior and raise it with deadly intent. That's when she knew whom it was.

"Sora…" She said quietly, but not so silently that it didn't escape Sora's ears.

He turned to look at her, his eyes flickering between golden and blue as he raised the wicked-looking blade in the shape of a wing.

"RIKU! SORA! NO!" She screamed, rushing forward to restrain the boy she loved from killing her other best friend. "Please Sora!" She screamed, grabbing a hold of his poised hand and taking advantage of his surprise to pull him away. "What happened to you?" She sobbed hysterically as she beheld his pallid face, his fierce eyes and his malevolent demeanor.

But she already knew what had happened to him…. The very thing that Riku said would. "You can't do this…" She pleaded, searching his eyes for any trace of the sorrow he had expressed when denying whatever Riku had done.

"You were the last person in the entire universe that I wanted to see, Kairi." Sora said coldly, ripping his arm away and shoving her back onto the ground. "This entire tale from beginning to end happened because of you. Every twist, every turn, every event happened because you came to our islands…" He said bitterly and turned away from her, raising the blade again, slamming it down into Riku's chest. With indifference, he turned the Keyblade and said loudly.

"Show me your soul, Riku, so that I may decide whether you live or die." He twisted the blade…and screamed, his loud cry drowning out all sounds around him.

Kairi watched helplessly and shrieked when she saw the Heartless lose control, swarming around Riku and Sora to charge toward her. She prayed for someone to save her—no, someone to save Riku! Someone to save Sora!

A blast of ice obliterated the armored Heartless nearest to her and she heard the familiar voices of Donald and Goofy as they rushed to their aid. She quickly got to her feet; her joints aching from jolt she received when Sora shoved her back. She did her best to stay out of the way of both her saviors and their assailants.

The two odd characters slaughtered the Heartless left and right, having trouble with the larger ones. As time wore on though, their fatigue was becoming visible; Donald was now thrashing blindly with his staff and Goofy's attacks slowed greatly.

But the Heartless kept coming, appearing out of Shadow and hell bent on their destruction…

That was, of course, until a blinding light obliterated all of the shadow monsters and engulfed everything in its blaze. There was no sound; no feeling and it seemed that even time itself had stopped before the magic faded away.

Kairi opened her eyes, blinking away the spots that splotched her vision. The rain started falling again, soaking her already wet clothes as she looked on to see what the source of it was.

Sora knelt, his back and the tattered remnants of his cloak hiding what had become of Riku. The boy himself was in miserable shape, his dark clothes ripped and torn, patches of red protruding from the material in some places. Tanned skin showed through others, from what she could see.

Sora was still there, under all that hatred and darkness…. Her Sora was still alive!

His shoulders shook and she could tell his entire body trembled as he placed his burden down and stood. He turned to look at her and she gasped when she saw his face. Half of it was tan, the other half still white as ivory and one eye was deep blue while the other glowed a malicious golden. His lips twisted into a bitter smile and he cried softly as he looked at her and then down at the body lying on the concrete.

"Is he…?" She asked tentatively.

Sora shook his head and his hands clenched into fists. He pounded them against the sides of his head, cursing himself, cursing Riku, and cursing Ansem. "My memories!" He shouted. "Riku's memories! Your memories!" He shouted as he rounded upon her. "ANSEM'S MEMORIES!" He screamed. "They've all become one jumbled disaster in my head!" He reached back and ripped the sword from Riku's chest and pointed it at Kairi. "I should kill you where you stand." He ground out. "I should kill you for what you drove me to become! I SHOUTED YOUR NAME WHEN I WAS A HEARTLESS! I CALLED OUT FOR YOU!" The anger animating his voice vanished suddenly. "But only Riku answered my pleas." He said quietly before he groaned loudly. He staggered backward and then broke into a run past Kairi, Donald and Goofy.

He disappeared into a portal of Shadow.

The girl stared after him, tears pouring down her awed face.

* * *

Ansem watched with anger at Sora's failure. He had taken his time with that one! He had made sure that he destroyed all the memories Sora had within him of his past! He had severed the ties of friendship between them only to be greeted with the nasty surprise of how strong and deep Sora's heart was.

However, this failure wasn't an utter one… After all, Sora had managed to find the missing Princess again…and he summoned Riku's Keyblade, which meant he would surely be able to summon his own.

Kingdom Hearts was only a few instances away from being opened.

He heard Sora's clumsy footsteps as he neared and darted forward, grabbing Sora by the throat and slamming him hard onto the cold shadow floor. He pressed his boot to the pale side of Sora's face as he pushed it into the ground. "You failed me," He said cruelly, though he wasn't truly angry with the boy. "I gave you your chance to kill the one who lied to you and you failed me." He pressed harder for emphasis. "I gave you power and strength and you crumbled like a fool in front of _him_! He who convinced his soul of the very lies he tried to feed you in hopes for some final redemption…Redemption that you so stupidly bestowed upon him by letting him live!" He removed his boot from the boy's face.

"He will hunt you down now, confuse you and feed you more of these lies." Ansem said as he bent down near to the boy's tear streaked face. Such a delight, that entangling emotion of sorrow was. He reached out and pulled the boy up, taking him into his arms. He bent down and placed a tender kiss on the boy's cheek. "Hush. Stop crying, my beautiful Sora…I won't let him hurt you." He purred into the boy's ear, pulling him back to place a kiss on the boy's parted lips. "I alone can love you now, the monster that you are…Find solace in me, for I am just the same as you."

As he spoke, Sora's tears stopped and he saw the pallor of one half creep over into the tanned skin and engulf it. The shadow clothes repaired themselves slowly, covering up the patches of red clothing and skin that had been previously destroyed.

"Yes, that's it…. Fight the confusion he placed in your mind, ignore the blur of memories that flash so constantly before your eyes, my pet. They mean nothing…They cannot change what you have become." He said with a smile. Lies, of course, all of them.

"Ansem…." He said softly, reaching up with his gloved hands to place on either side of the silver-haired man's face. "Master…I love you…" he whispered before he pulled the man's face down and gave him a kiss of his own.

Ansem pulled away after the sweet moment had passed, pulling Sora closer to him. "I know, my beloved little slave…" He whispered, laughing malevolently "I know!"

TBC…

A/N: Well there's another quick update for you! YAY! There are still other people reading this fic! XD (dances happily) and out of all the reviews, I only got one flame! (more victory dancing) Woot! Time for Reviewer's Response time!

R/R:

OrochiGreel: Your comment was the most ironic of the bunch. You're the one that kindled the desire I had to continue this fic and you say the last chapter sucked. Why? I can't really know not to make the same mistake if I can't even recognize the first. Everyone else was enthralled that I updated and enjoyed what I had to give. I'm sorry it wasn't long, but that's because I didn't know what I wanted to happen. Now I have an idea of a plot and the chapters will get longer. But yeah. Why?

Elemental-Zero : Thankies! I'm glad you're still reading this xD (throws love at!)

Mizu Hikari: You wish has been granted! Though don't really expect another update like this soon. I have lots of stuffs to do with my birthday coming up this weekend! Thanks for your review!

Xeora: Hope that this chappie was more to your liking than the last. Thanks for reviewing!

Nikore Strife: Yeah I've only played the effing 3 HOUR LONG TUTORIAL! (it's my bf's game) My gods that was annoying! When I finally saw the KH2 logo I pitched a hissy fit! Anyway! It's been a year since I've updated this thing….longer still since I've updated any of my other fanfics. So yeah! Well I hope you like this chappie too! Thankies for the nice review 3

DieChan: Ha! No I didn't die. It'd take a helluva lot to kill a crazy chick like me! This update was a bit longer (scratches back of her head) but not much. Oh well, maybe the next update will be when I start it. (shrugs) who's to say? XD Thanks for still reading!

Well, I think that covers the lot of you. Thanks again! Until next update (bows)

DB


	9. Another Reprieve, Another Challenge

Disclaimer: H'okay so….I don't own these guys, I just manipulate them.Might I add that I also do this for no profit whatsoever (though I will accept charitable donations 3)

Caution: Riku x Leon fluff…

/_I was blue, just as blue as I could be  
Ev'ry day was a cloudy day for me  
Then good luck came a-knocking at my door  
Skies were gray but they're not gray anymore_

Blue skies smiling at me  
Nothing but blue skies do I see

Bluebirds singing a song  
Nothing but bluebirds all day long

Never saw the sun shining so bright  
Never saw things going so right  
Noticing the days hurrying by  
When you're in love, my how they fly

Blue days, all of them gone  
Nothing but blue skies from now on

I should care if the wind blows east or west  
I should fret if the worst looks like the best  
I should mind if they say it can't be true  
I should smile, that's exactly what I do/

-Rod Stewart, feat. Dave Koz, Blue Skies

Riku had been on death's doorstep when Sora plunged the Soul Eater into his breast. He was pulled out of the whiteness and plunged into so many memories of Sora and Kairi, of the time they spent together on Destiny Islands before that fateful night, the few memories that Ansem had left within him…. And the pain from his near-dead body. The boy knew that Sora was seeing everything that was flashing before his eyes, and so much more.

He tried desperately to push forward the images where he had shown nothing but kindness and near adoration to Sora, but he had no control over what gushed forth from his soul. He had lied to himself when he thought he was ready to die…. No, upon seeing Sora the way he had been rekindled the burning desire to live.

_Let me save him!_

White light engulfed everything, placing him back into his pain-free stupor as he floated in nothingness. Before him, he saw the image of the Dark Sora and he reached for him—just as Riku had before he fell into darkness.

_Sora! Take my hand this time!_

He felt as if there were tears streaming down his face as he reached out. He wanted to move closer, but he couldn't.

Sora would have to come to him.

The blue-eyed boy took a step forward, a vibrant splotch of black against the endless abyss of light. He too, appeared to be crying as he reached forward. However, as soon as their fingertips touched, Sora's new skin and body began to crack and crumble. Beneath, patches of Sora's real skin color and clothing emerged.

_Grab my hand! I can save you! I can bring you back to the light!_

"NO!" Sora screamed, recoiling in pain and horror. As he shrank away, more darkness poured into the white and engulfed him within it.

_Sora!_

Yet Sora heard nothing, said nothing. The shadows surrounded him, and he sank back into them, his mismatched yellow-and-blue eyes staring forlornly at Riku, as if that was to be the last time they ever saw each other with one of them leaving alive. Sora reached out once more, the white fingertips from his glove standing starkly against the shadows. His mouth moved, but no words came out as he was ripped from the void.

Riku would not give up! He had almost had Sora that time—he had almost reclaimed his best friend and the only one he had ever loved—and to give up now would have wasted everything. He looked wildly around him, seeing nothing but the same colorless space around him. And so, he stepped forward realizing that now that nothing from the real world touched this realm of limbo, he was free to move.

He began to run.

"Riku!" Kairi shouted wiping her tears away and getting off of her bruised and aching knees. The shock and utter self-loathing caused by Sora's words would have to wait—her friend was dying. She ran over to the place where the silver-haired boy lay paralyzed. She dropped to the ground again next to him, drenched from head to toe. She put her hands on his shoulders and examined the damage from the wounds the Heartless left.

Only…there were no wounds…. There wasn't even a gash from where Sora had rammed his sword into Riku's chest. "Wake up…" She whispered, shaking him gently. "Riku! Wake up!"

"Stop shaking him" A cold voice said from behind her.

She turned around and saw Leon towering over her, Gunblade in hand as he looked past her and down at the injured boy at her side. "What happened to him?" He asked calmly, crouching down next to her to get a better look at Riku. He reached forward, placing his hand against Riku's throat to check for a pulse.

"S-Sora came…H-he gave into darkness and tried to kill Riku and I!" She said frantically, almost on the verge of tears. "He drove a sword into Riku's heart, but then a white light came and swallowed us all. When it left, Sora said he contained Riku's memories and my memories and…. A-Ansem's memories…. But I don't know who that is!"

Leon searched her eyes for a moment before standing again. "The Keyblade master has gone over to the side of the Heartless?" A pained look flashed across his face before vanishing into the same stoic countenance he usually displayed. "Donald!" He shouted at the duck that then came at a fast paced waddle over. "Riku has no injuries and he's alive. He may just be sleeping, but I want you to use Curaga and an elixir on him—just in case. I need to go talk to the others…Bring him into the Green Room of the Hotel before you try to heal him. He needs to get out of this rain before he contracts a sickness that magic can't heal."

"Yeah, sure." Donald said with a shadow of his old attitude. He had been terribly shaken upon witnessing first had what Sora had done to Riku and couldn't muster the energy to be happy. "Goofy an' I'll take him right up."

"Good. When you're done, leave him alone in the room and I'll be there as soon as I can. Don't let him out and don't let anyone but me in…. This includes keeping Kairi out too." Leon said briskly before he took off at a jog in the direction of the third district.

Riku stopped running suddenly, his body convulsed with pain and he stumbled and fell on the "ground". He shouted into the void and tried to stand but soon felt his limbs anchored to the floor, his arms restrained at his sides as a cold numbness spread into his body.

Am I finally dying?

He thought, striving to fight against it still, to no avail.

I can't give up…I won't give up!

But his entire body felt so cold, so heavy. The pain he had felt lingered upon the surface of his skin still, though not nearly as acute as it had been. He tried to shout for help, but found that his lips were immovable. His heart sank.

_…So this is really death…_

"His heartbeat is getting faster"

_What?_

"Gawrsh, d'ya think we should leave him now?"

_Who is that?_

"I think so…. Come on, let's go…"

_No! Don't leave me!_

The white void was slowly turning into gray and then fading further into blackness. First, he felt the dull throbbing of his heart as it pumped the blood in his veins. Then came the air in his lungs being slowly pushed in and out by the involuntary machinations of his subconscious. Then came feeling of cloth against his skin, then warmth and the coldness down in his toes.

I'm alive…

He opened his eyes and sat up, his bones and joints aching in protest. He suddenly felt lightheaded and shook his heard to clear his blurry eyes. The room around him was entirely green and, though the tones of it were meant to be gentle, they hurt his eyes.

He looked slowly about the room and realized that he had been left all alone. Part of him was comforted by that fact, but the other part was growing frantic. He needed to leave here, to get his sword back and go hunt down Sora even if it meant destroying himself in the process.

"I was given a second chance…" He whispered into the empty room. He drew his knees up to his chest and rested his chin upon one of them and stared out into the green wall in front of him. Yes, he would go to any lengths to get Sora back, but he still didn't want to die. "I'm a coward…"

"Some would say that, yes." Came a smooth, almost cold voice from the door. "But some would say otherwise…"

He looked dejectedly towards the door and saw Leon leaning against the frame. The man's eyes were down at the floor and out of focus, as if he was remembering something that he rather wished to forget.

"Go away…" Riku murmured, looking away from him. "I don't want to hear your stupid musings…" As he spoke, he felt tears welling up in his eyes. What could Leon possibly have to say to him that could make him feel better? What kind words could this man, this man who had looked at him with righteous contempt since they first met, have to offer. "Leave me alone…"

But, the man did not.

Riku could hear Leon's soft footsteps as he crossed the space between the door and the bed. He moved so quietly that it had startled Riku when he sat down onto the bed next to him. "They aren't stupid…" He said calmly, with a hint of some emotion riku couldn't name tinting his voice. "And I don't care if you don't listen to me…What you did—going into darkness—wasn't cowardly. You plunged yourself headfirst into it…You became a coward when you ran away from Sora."

Riku's head snapped up and he shot a glare at Leon that could melt steel. "I never ran away from him! HE PUSHED ME OUT OF DARKNESS!" He shouted at Leon who didn't look the slightest bit muffled by the forceful outburst.

"I wasn't talking about that." He said calmly, setting his piercing gaze on Riku. "It was before that, when you gave into Ansem…when you started to believe the lies that were told to you…Every time you ran that much further away from Sora." He looked away, down back at the floor.

Riku stared at him in awe for a moment before letting his head fall back against his knees. Leon had verified his every fear and self-accusation.

"But…that doesn't mean that Sora hasn't run from you either…take it from another 'hero'," He snorted at the word. "He ran away every time you tried to reach out to him, to pull him over to the shadow side so that you two could fight together. He ran away every time you challenged his decision to remain rooted in Light." Leon's voice cracked slightly, his stoic behavior betrayed by a past he was continuously being forced to remember.

Riku looked back at him and swore that the man's eyes glistened slightly with tears. "Leon….?" He realized that Leon was no longer speaking of Sora, but himself.

He shook his head and looked over at Riku. "That's not my name, you know. My real name is Squall…I just tell everyone to call me Leon because I don't want to deal with the history that my true name carries. I don't want to remember…And so I run away. I ran away from him right before our world fell into darkness and was destroyed….I don't know what happened to him…" His eyes went out of focus as he looked past Riku out the window behind him. "He could be anywhere…he could be a heartless…But if I had remained by his side, then I would be with him…And not here alone."

The silver-haired boy opened his mouth to speak, but could find no words. He knew very well the guilt that overshadowed Squall's heart. If only he had taken ahold of Sora's hand, he could have saved him…He had been so close, their fingertips had touched…but, well…Riku was still empty handed, wasn't he?

"It was really hard to me to hear the stories Sora would tell about you and Kairi when he was here, waiting for Cid to repair the Gummi ship. It sounded so much like my past that it came to the point where I could no longer stand to listen. Sora's plights were my own and your antics were Seifer's…" His gaze locked onto Riku's. "And I promised myself that no matter how bitter I was, I would help you two come back together—for better or worse…Then maybe I could find some solace for my own mistakes."

Riku smiled and shook his head. "There's no way you could have been like Sora, you're way too serious about everything." He put one of his legs down and reached over and placed his bare hand over Leon's gloved hand and squeezed gently. "And I don't know about Seifer or what happened between you, but if he's anything like me…he's been looking for you by any means he can."

Squall turned his hand so that their palms touched. He squeezed gently in return and smiled gratefully, as if Riku's words had lifted some huge burden. "Thanks, Riku…I hope you're right." He then pulled away and stood. "And don't forget about Kairi…she may not be Sora…and you may hate her for what she's caused…but she still loves you."

Riku looked away. "I know she does…and I've been trying to make her stop…I already have Sora to worry about, I don't want to have to look for her again. "He chuckled softly.

"I see. Well, you're free to go whenever you'd like. Your clothes are over there and we've got you stocked up with all the healing stuff you could carry. If…no, when you find him…come back here and say goodbye before you go back to your islands, would you?"

Riku was caught offguard by the sudden realization that he'd been naked. So with a blush he, looked away from his friend. "I-I'll try my hardest…See ya around, Squall." He glanced back over at him to see him smile.

"I'll let you get away with calling me Squall in private."

"Gee thanks, and I'll be sure not to tell anyone that you were alone in a room with a naked 14 year-old boy." He gave Leon a thumbs up.

"Whatever." He said with a small smile and the shake of his head before he left, leaving Riku alone in the room again.

"Not too bad of a guy past the ice…" Riku said as he climbed out of bed and hastily put on his clothing. Once dressed, he rummaged through his pockets and found a plethora of Mega potions and Mega ethers and Mega elixirs. "Wow….he wasn't kidding!" He said with widened eyes. "well then, I guess I have no choice now but to go into the darkness and save Sora…" He held out his hand and willed for the Soul Eater to appear. Sure enough, he felt the familiar weight of it in his palm. "And destroy Ansem once and for all…"

He sliced open a portal into darkness in the room and took a deep breath before he stepped into it, taking one last furtive glance around the room.

The shadows welcomed him as they always had.

TBC…

A/N: yeah, nothing really happened in this part, but I figured I should update before GREEL's head exploded. This fic should be wrapping up very shortly and I haven't figured whether it should end happily or in disaster. I'm open to suggestions, because yeah. And I could have had so much more happen between Riku and Leon, but I didn't know how you guys would react. (sweatdrop)

R/R:

MoonGoddessKonoko: Of course I stopped right there! I gotta keep you guys reading somehow lmao

The Brat Prince: Well, there you have it. Keep reading! And yay for the Lestat reference!

KamirineGoddess: xD Thanks! But I don't really think this story is all that good. It was better in the beginning when I could actually remember where I meant to take this story. (sweatdrop) but I'm glad that you like it! Thanks for your review!

Mizuki hikari: Wish granted.

SiLvEr-kLoWd: Thankies!

OrochiGreel: Yeah Ansem x Sora is an odd pairing, which is why I chose it! Thanks for your multiple reviews and constant ushering me to update.

Lonely Moon: Thanks, I hope you won't lose interest before this thing is over.

RavenColoredNight: wow! Thanks a lot! I was really worried that everyone was acting super OOC. But your review renewed my confidence a bit!

Elemental-Zero: There ya go! I look forward to what you think!

Nikore Strife: well now I'm past Timeless River. It's my bf's copy so I don't get to play too much. And…I'm more addicted to the Gummi ship levels than anything. (sweatdrop) And I already know how the game ends and I've seen the secret ending so it's all good! Thanks for reviewing!

Xeora: He lives, never worry. Chances are that he'll live through the end of this story…maybe. Yeah…keep reading! And don't eat me!

Well that takes care of the lot of you. Please give me some tips. I could use them….Because this thing could end up with some people you want to live dead. Yeah. Until next time I'm bored!

DB


End file.
